Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-04-25
MIR. Dnvis.s Reply 10 Gen. Beaure.
gard.

SNrU.
NEW ORLENs, April 25.-Jeflerson Davis
has replied to the communication of Gen.
Beauregard printed Sunday animadyerting
on The remarks of the former delivered at
the time of the unwilling of the bronze
equestrian statue Of Albert Sydney John
ston at Metairie Cemetery, in this county,
April G. The President Of the late Confed-
eracy says My remarks were uupremed-
tated, and under the circumstances it would
have been very difficult, if not impossible,
to make an exact report. It seems, how
ever, 10 have been sufficiently clear to be
understood by the writer Of the communi.
cation who undertakes to reduce n quota
ton TO plain language, and then in Quib-
bling explanation of this plain language
shows that he knew the true meaning of my
remarks. If he did not l will aid his un-
Outstanding by specially stating that in my
opinion the only mistake of Gen. Johnaton
in relation to the battle of Shiloh was in
not personally making the order of march
from Coginth towards Pitsburg Landing,
for which his large experience in the move.
ment Of troops peculiarly qualified him, in.
stead of utrusting that duty to Gen. Beau.
regard, his second in command, and who
had seen comparatively little service with
troops in the field. If, in this way, as ap
pears by contemporaneous statements. day
was needlessly spent in the march, il was a
mistake with serious consequences. He fol-
lows with the bold assertion that was mis-.
taken in supposiDg the Geographic dispatch
had been lost in which General John.
stor explained to ME his plan of battle To
prove my mistake the emphatic announce
ment is made it is not lost. One might
reasonably expect, after such declaration,
that the dispatch described by me would be
produced, but instead thereof there is given
a dispatch reciting the order Of march from
Corinth, and the assignment to positions on
the field, and this is offered as the telegram
now occupying our attention. A poor full,
6lment of the hope suggested by the round
assertion that the dispatch referred to by
me had not been lost. In regard to the last
dispatch l stated nothing new in my re-
marks of the 9th inst. Both dispatches
were lost, but the one published was sup
piled from the original in the possession of
W. P. Johnston. 1t gave the order fmarch
and the general disposition of battle. The
other, as stated, was in CIPHER agreed
upon between General Johnston and myself
and only used on special occasions. The
original. for obvious reasons, was not there.
FORE to be found in his letter book. shall
not notice in detail the self laudation of the
long communication under review, but will
merely say that if General Beauregard was
the author of the plan of battle; if he was
present throughout with the troops who
fought il; II he was on the field when John
ston fell; il the enemy had not been driven
from point 10 poiat, and if General Beaure
gard throughout the whole day before, as
well as after the death of General Johnston.
did direct the general movements Of our
forces, and did after the fail of
his chief actively press the attack SO
that the right and centre of the enemy be
gan 20 give way in confusion after General
Beauregard had assumed command, and if
the order TO retire was not given until after
the attempt to make concerted onslaught
had been made, but which, as he states, was
desultory, without spirit or ardor and failed